I read, discuss, and discover new things about cinematography everyday. Most of it, I consider incredibly interesting. Everyday I will share one of those things, maybe more if I have time.

9.5.12

Cooke 9-50mm 16mm lens can be converted...

So I bought a really rough Cooke 9-50mm 16mm lens off of E-bay last week for $199.

It has yet to arrive, but I suspect I will likely re-purpose it as a really cool lamp or perhaps get really creative and turn it into a mug, like those Canon lens mugs. Maybe I'll resell it with an honest description for $400-500 because it may be very valuable as a spare parts donor.

Point is, I'll buy any cinema lens for $200. The thing could have been on the bottom of the Pacific ocean for 30 years and I'd buy it for that price.

Anyhow, what I learned today is that this lens is a very beloved 16mm lens. It also has a conversion which ZGC performs that turns the lens from a T/2.6 8-50mm lens to a T/3 10.8-60mm S16mm lens. I assume this is by means of a slight tele-extender, making the image circle larger hence the reduction in aperture and increase in focal length.

Depending on the condition of the lens when it arrives, I might consider a full rehabilitation and conversion.

Right now I have a 12-120 T/2.2 Angie 16mm lens.... and I'm not terribly fond of it.